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Friday, February 22, 2013

An Update and a (Very) Short Writing Thing

Not a lot has happened since Felix signed his extension. Teams have reported to their respective spring training sites and everybody is in the best shape of their lives, they all have a shot, they all look great at the plate/mound and everything is just peachy. After training and doing their baseball things, the players will begin taking the field in actual game situations (sort of) beginning Friday and ending sometime in April for most. For others, spring games will be interrupted by the World Baseball Classic on March 2nd, where spring training rules don't really apply. There probably won't be any 2 or 3 inning starts unless the guy gets hurt, which none of us hope for, and the players will be playing not for their team, but for the pride of their country. Baseball is finally here.

Mike Carp was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named. My reaction was pretty close to "Huh.....I wonder what's for dinner." The player to be named will be a mid-level prospect at best, so whatever. He gets a chance to prove he's worth a roster spot in the Red Sox, rather than sitting at the bottom of the depth chart at first base and left field. For guys like Jeremy Bonderman, Jon Garland and Jason Bay, they are what makes spring interesting. Others like Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen and Nick Franklin will get a chance to prove they're ready to step up to the majors and contribute. Spring stats won't mean much, but it gives a very broad description of the players that will be around in April. Some will get cut early and some will stick around for a while to showcase their talents to the guys that make the decisions. Most guys have roster spots locked up barring something catastrophic. Spring is for the players fighting for one of the few remaining spots on the roster. To finally touch the stars they have been reaching for all their lives. Baseball has returned to work it's way into our lives. For that, I am grateful. Stealing a line from Shakespeare, "The rest is silence."